


Mint Chip

by pastel_didactic



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galo is an idiot who forgets to lock his windows, M/M, everything is exactly the same except the Promare stays, local bastard sneaks in and steals his couch for a night, sleepy lio, stupid amounts of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-12 05:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20996792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastel_didactic/pseuds/pastel_didactic
Summary: The smell of coffee drifted to his nose as soon as he rounded the corner into the tiny kitchenette, and there he found the blob of black leather and mint hair that made up Lio, slouching at the counter. If Galo had been up for nearly two days, Lio looked like he’d been up for three. His slender frame drooped off to one side, leaning his head on his splayed arms across the countertop. If Galo didn’t know any better, Lio looked asleep. He looked like a cone of mint chip ice cream in the summer, melting under the intense heat of the sun.“Lio..?”





	Mint Chip

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Prompt_Master](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prompt_Master/gifts).

> SO I RECENTLY SAW THIS THING CALLED PROMARE AND IT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'D EVER SEEN 
> 
> I wrote this as a gift for the lovely Prompt_Master, and I riffed on the ending a bit to make it a lil less Kill-la-Killy? Idk y'all I'm still bitter about Senketsu. That got me good. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this little contribution to the fandom! 
> 
> Prompt_Master, this one's for you! <3

Lio was melting. 

Which seemed impossible, given his Burnish nature, but it was true. Lio was melting. Galo was witnessing it happen from the door of the Burning Rescue chow hall, which really was just a compact kitchen space with an island counter and a fold-up table. Lio and the rest of Mad Burnish had been working closely with Burning Rescue for the last few weeks, cleaning up the destruction and counting survivors. 

Along with the dead. 

Immediately following the crisis, Galo could only watch as Lio took in a deep breath, squared his slender shoulders, and took charge. The smaller man seemed like a force of nature, relentlessly and tirelessly counting heads and taking down names. Finding housing for all the displaced people, making sure food and medical supplies were rationed properly and without bias. Meanwhile, Galo was with Burning Rescue, digging deep into the buildings destroyed and looking for the survivors from the wreckage that would eventually be passed to Lio, who would find them housing and care. 

More urns were filled within the last month than Galo had seen in his entire life. 

Due to the body count and the damage, the last time Galo even remembered seeing Lio was two weeks ago, when the Burnish had somehow found a way into his apartment. Galo had come home after a long day of digging through rubble to shower and at least get an hour or two of sleep to find Lio passed out on his sofa. The sofa Galo had bought wasn’t the most comfortable- a secondhand thing he’d purchased at a thrift store. But Lio looked positively dead to the world, a burrito of blankets topped with a puff of mint hair. To this day, Galo has no idea how the man even got into his home- not that he minded at all. Lio was always welcome. It occurred to him that he should just give Lio a key, just in case something like this ever happened again, but he continuously forgot about asking him about it. 

By the time Galo had showered and slept, Lio was gone. The blankets were folded neatly and draped over the back of the sofa, and the cushions were cold, meaning he’d left some time before Galo had woken. 

Galo would never admit it to the Burnish leader’s face, but he missed him. He missed Lio’s fiery personality, his quiet and dedicated confidence. His single-minded determination to save as many Burnish as he could, without harming anyone else. Galo may have a burning firefighter’s soul, and he may burn brightly, but Lio? Galo’s burning soul looked like a simple candle next to the inferno that was Lio Fotia. 

Galo was certain that the feeling he gets in his chest when he sees Lio is what love feels like.

Galo had been working for nearly 36 hours before Ignis told him to go home. He was fine- really! He could go for as long as he was needed! But the captain had other plans. “I do not want to see you here again until tomorrow, Galo, or so help me,” were the exact words he’d used. Aina threatened to tell Meis, who she’d meet later that day to pass along an updated list of survivors, who would no doubt tell Lio, and Galo knew that was a non-starter. Lio absolutely would not have it, and he knew it. So it was either go home or be dragged home. Galo knew better than to add to Lio’s worries. So, for once, Galo actually listened. 

It was a good thing he did, too, because when he went back to Burning Rescue, he was greeted by the sight before him on the way to the locker room. 

The smell of coffee drifted to his nose as soon as he rounded the corner into the tiny kitchenette, and there he found the blob of black leather and mint hair that made up Lio, slouching at the counter. If Galo had been up for nearly two days, Lio looked like he’d been up for three. His slender frame drooped off to one side, leaning his head on his splayed arms across the countertop. If Galo didn’t know any better, Lio looked asleep. He looked like a cone of mint chip ice cream in the summer, melting under the intense heat of the sun. 

“Lio..?” 

“Mmmphr,” came the exhausted reply. A swell of emotions shot through Galo’s chest, and he leaned on the counter to try to meet Lio’s gaze. His eyes were barely open, bleary purple-pink orbs barely registering his presence. “You okay? You look exhausted.” 

“Mmfine. Waiting for coffee.” Lio looked over at the coffee machine, and Galo followed his gaze.    
  
The coffee machine was off, and the pot was no longer steaming. 

“Hey, Lio,” Galo started, “I’m headed home. Do you want to go with me? You need to sleep!” Lio melted a little more into the fake granite of the countertop and sighed. He mumbled something unintelligible, and Galo had to laugh. Lio was  _ so cute _ like this! He’d never seen anyone so tired before in his life! If he were a weaker man, he’d video this to show Aina later. But he did value his life, and Lio would probably kill him if he did that, so… Instead, Galo settled on scooping up the mint-haired rebel. He got a groan in reply, and that was when Galo decided that this was definitely happening. He took Lio into the locker room and sat him down on the bench while he gathered their things. Lio responded to this by dropping onto the bench like a stone, and melting off of that, too. His cheek puffed where it made contact with the bench and a black gloved hand dangled onto the floor. 

Dare he say it? Galo was  _ smitten _ . 

Laughing loudly, Galo shouldered his pack, which was full of his clothes and Lio’s documents, and he scooped up the sleepy man again in a bridal carry. “Jus’ lemme sleep,” Lio complained, curling inward toward Galo’s chest. The other man looked so  _ tiny _ in his arms, and curled up against him like that, he looked that much  _ smaller _ . It was definitely hard to believe that this was the leader of Mad Burnish, and quite possibly the strongest Burnish alive. “I will, Lio, as soon as we’re home.” 

“Home,” Lio echoed, making a sound that was both equal parts adorable and sad at the same time, and nodded his sleepy head. 

It wasn’t until Galo had brought them both outside that he realized the problem:    
  
Galo had come to work on his bike. 

While his motorcycle was definitely big enough for the both of them, Galo was not comfortable riding the distance to his apartment (which was only a few blocks away from the station), with a half-asleep passenger. But walking home would take a while, and carrying Lio like that just- 

Lio wriggled in his hold until Galo put him down, and somewhat clear eyes looked up at him. “Let’s go,” he mumbled, “I’ll be okay.” Galo wasn’t sure. Lio was still so exhausted- were those bags under his eyes? But the smaller man pushed him towards the bike. Summoning up what had to be the very last dregs of his consciousness, Lio firmly wrapped his arms around Galo’s waist, leaning his head against Galo’s back. “Hurry,” he murmured, “I’m very tired, and you’re very warm.” 

If Galo were not part of Burning Rescue, he’d probably have a speeding ticket for how fast he made it home. 

Once dismounting from his bike, he scoops the now entirely drained Lio back into his arms and carries him inside. Galo carried him down the hall, resolute that Lio Fotia would sleep in a proper bed. He carefully laid Lio down, who fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and drew the covers over him. Pulling back to look at his work, Galo could only grin. Lio deserved his rest. He deserved  _ so much _ , and Galo was absolutely astounded by how badly he wanted to be the one to give him as much as possible. In an unrestrained moment of indulgence, Galo leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Lio’s forehead. Leaving the mint-haired man to his sleep, Galo left the bedroom door cracked an inch and went down the hall to shower, and fell asleep on the lumpy sofa. 

When Galo woke up again, it was dark. The apartment was quiet, and not a single light was on in the apartment. A pressure on his stomach drew his focus downward, to find his face quickly buried in a plume of mint colored hair. Lio had moved from the bed out to the living room and, what, decided to sleep here? The smaller man was sound asleep on top of Galo, a bare hand resting on Galo’s bare chest, the other tucked under his lithe frame. It was then that he realized that Lio was wearing one of Galo’s old FDPP hoodies, which was so big on Lio it looked like he wasn’t wearing anything else. He was nestled between Galo’s legs, and as a result his right leg had fallen off the sofa. His arms were around Lio, and if you listened carefully enough, you could hear Galo’s quickly beating heart. Which, if Lio were awake, he would- considering his face was snuggled into his chest directly over his sternum. Galo’s nose and face itched from the strands of hair that had tickled his face, and he reached up with one hand to smooth Lio’s hair down and out of his face. The younger man murmured something in his sleep and drew himself closer, purple and pink fire sparking from his fingers. 

Lio’s fire never burned him, but it did feel extraordinarily warm. Not dangerously hot, but pleasantly so- the kind of warmth you feel sitting at a bonfire with friends, or coming home to a warm house in the winter. If Galo fell back to sleep, it was likely that Lio would be gone by the morning. His dedication to his people was too strong, and there were still people unaccounted for, still people who could be left alive. He didn’t want to waste this moment by going back to sleep. He wanted the minutes to stretch into hours where they just laid here and forgot about their responsibilities. Where they could just be Lio and Galo, instead of what the world now expected from them. 

“I can hear you thinking, Galo Thymos.” 

Galo flinched and looked down again to find that Lio was awake, drawing unformed shapes into Galo’s side, purple fire trailing in his finger’s wake. He had no idea when Lio woke up, but he was at least coherent now. 

“I would ask how I ended up here, but I don’t think it matters. I’m grateful, though.” Lio’s voice was so soft, the natural softness in his voice made even more defined by his hushed tone. Galo’s hold on Lio increased slightly, and Lio’s resulting sigh was content. “To be fair, I carried you into the bedroom.  _ You  _ gave up the comfy bed to come out here.” 

“I’m very comfortable where I am.” Galo’s chest swelled, and the hand that was once in Lio’s hair carefully ran through the plume, gently dragging his nails across Lio’s scalp. The other man sighed yet again and turned his head into Galo’s hand. “I haven’t seen you in days,” Galo whispered, the worry seeping through his voice for all he tried to stop it. “I was getting kinda worried.”

Lio was quiet for a while, nuzzling his cheek against Galo’s chest. Galo had absolutely no idea what was happening, but he absolutely did  _ not _ want to question it. He didn’t want this moment shattered. “I’m sorry,” Lio eventually replied. He hid his face from Galo, burrowing into Galo’s chest like he wanted to disappear into him, “I got wrapped up in the numbers. The people. How many we lost and how many left that I could save. I forgot we were doing this together. I just… want the destruction to be over.” 

“I understand! I want it to be over too, Lio. Just- don’t forget to take care of yourself. Have you been eating? What about sleeping? I mean, obviously not cause you were melting like ice cream back at Burning Rescue, and-”    


  
“Galo.” 

“-I was so worried about you, because I hadn’t seen you since the day you crashed on my couch. How did you even get in? Anyway, I don’t talk to Meis or Gueira- I think they hate me-”    


  
“They don’t hate you. But, Galo-”    


  
“-and what I’m trying to say is that I love you, and I hate not seeing you.” 

They both fell silent then, Lio having turned his head up to look at him. Galo was caught by the purple and pink gaze of the Burnish on top of him, the moonlight filtering in through his living room window making them glitter. The sight took all the air out of Galo’s lungs, right as he understood what it was he’d just said. The series of events leading up to this point that made up the sum of Galo Thymos’s life passed clean before his eyes.  _ Fuck _ . This is where he was going to die. Lio was going to kill him. 

“I mean-”    


  
A slow smile spread across Lio’s cheeks, “You really are an idiot,” he whispered with so much  _ affection _ it clenched at Galo’s heart. Rolling from his side to face Galo, Lio scooted the few scant inches that separated them from eye-level. Mint hair fell down like a cage over Galo’s face- all he could see was Lio, and the most pure smile he’d ever seen. “I love you too, Galo.” 

Galo blanked for a moment, unsure of what he just heard. His brain has been known to make things up on occasion- this wasn’t one of those moments, was it? Galo reached up and placed a bare hand on Lio’s cheek. He leaned into it, and Galo was motivated to lean upwards, capturing Lio’s lips in a warm and soft kiss. 

Kissing Lio felt perfect- his lips were softer than anything Galo had ever felt before, and the sheer heat that radiated from the Burnish was enough to think that they had caught fire. 

Maybe they had. 

Their kiss was a slow, breathtaking thing and Lio came alive in a way Galo hadn’t expected. Lio drew his hands up Galo’s sides, his unbelievably soft fingers teasing at his skin. Lio inhaled sharply through his nose when Galo tilted his head to fit their lips together more perfectly, and once again he melted. They parted for lack of air, and Lio huffed a breath, “I’ve wanted to do this for weeks.” 

“Me too,” Galo looked up at the smaller man now hovering over his face, smiling down at him. Fuck, but Lio was absolutely gorgeous. How did he ever get so lucky..? 

“Galo?” 

  
  
“Yeah?” 

“You might be comfortable to lay on, but your couch isn’t.” Galo chuckled- that was true. Shooting Lio a look of warning, Galo wrapped his arms under Lio’s legs and stood them both up with a swift motion. Lio, despite the warning, yelped and wrapped his arms and legs around Galo. He walked them down the hall once again, this time with Lio holding loosely onto him knowing Galo would never drop him. Looking down at what the younger man was wearing, and remembering that the hoodie was his own, Galo snorted. “You stole my hoodie,” Galo chuckled, tugging at the drawstring. 

“I don’t think anyone would find sleeping in leather comfortable, Galo,” Lio replied, a little sheepish. At the sight of that pouty and blushed face, Galo's heart warmed and he leaned forward to gently rest his forehead on Lio’s, “Hey, I don’t mind. You can keep it if you want. You look good in it.” Lio blushed a deep red as Galo transferred the other man's weight to one arm like he weighed exactly nothing. He reached out with his now free hand and opened the bedroom door. Walking Lio over to the bed, he plunked the smaller man down on the bed and they both crawled under the covers. 

They ended up in a more splayed position than they were on the sofa. Galo was on his back and Lio had curled into him, resting mostly on his chest. Galo wrapped an arm around him to draw him closer and Lio responded by pulling his hand up to rest across Galo’s stomach. They were both quiet for a while, attempting to go back to sleep, when Lio spoke up again. 

“You really need to learn to lock your windows.” 

**Author's Note:**

> It's the first time I've posted a Promare fic. I hope you guys liked this fic! 
> 
> I have a chapter story in mind called Chill that will be released soon! 
> 
> Until next time! <3


End file.
